Notes: Okay, thanks for waiting until the end of January (I know I said December but things got crazy). It's been a while and I've mostly been caught up writing other things - although there were times I didn't want to write at all. The holidays were good for a break. I know it's been a while but we're jumping back in with the theft of the Music Box.
Heist
Chuck ended up working wait staff with Mozzie. Damian got in as a guest and was enjoying the party.
Everything was going fine until both Chuck and Mozzie recognised someone.
"What's she doing here?"
"Oh no, she's here."
They shared a look.
"That's Alex," Mozzie said, pointing to the woman who was being escorted by one of the marks.
"Okay. That's Nightstar," Chuck said pointing to another woman who had slid up towards Damian. "Nightwing will kill us if she gets hurt."
"Kill you. I'm disappearing after this."
Chuck rolled his eyes but returned to their jobs. Hopefully, Mar'i would be safe and everything would go smoothly. Although the presence of another person after the box could become a problem.
Alex slid up towards Mar'i and Damian. "So you made it. I assume you have a plan?"
"Hmm, do I?" Damian smirked, taking a drink from Chuck's tray as he walked by. "Here."
Mar'i accepted the drink and stepped in front of Damian. "Hi, we're busy so if you could-"
"You know he's a conman, right? He's using you."
Mar'i smiled back. "You're going to need this," she said, holding the drink out to Alex.
"Time to start the show," Damian said, stepping forward. Mar'i kept a good grip on his arm as Damian announced his history as a conman and his intention to steal at this party.
Mar'i followed along as they were escorted to another room. It wasn't difficult as the guards rightfully assumed she was also part of this. She waved to Alex as they went past. She hadn't liked the other woman after hearing about what happened at Copenhagen the last time they made a play for the music box.
Alex looked around and rounded on Mozzie with her questions.
Damian took the punch to the gut. Mar'i faked a horrified scream and put on a show of trying to get to him while letting the guards hold her back. It didn't take much for the guards to leave them; they refused to answer the questions and there were more pressing issues.
"Well, so far so good."
"You didn't tell me Alex would be here," Mar'i pointed out as Damian grabbed the hammer from his statue. He then used the hammer to smash his creation, revealing the safe cracking tools he had hidden inside.
"Her presence doesn't change our plan." It didn't take him long to get the safe open. The music box was a nice piece but it hardly seemed worth the death of at least one person in recent years.
"Let's just get out of here." They exited the room to see Chuck standing at the end of the hall. He was holding up a digital camera in front of the security cam; manipulating the view to show the hall as empty.
"Where's Mozzie?"
"He got caught up with keeping your friend busy. Now, let's get out of here!"
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you two weren't enjoying this."
"Don't know what you're talking about, I'm having a grand time."
"Honestly, I don't know which is worse, being part of the staff or the way my arms hurts after standing here for so long. You know, I could have taken a nice CIA mission."
"You didn't have to come."
"Yeah, I did. I'm part of the team."
"Go team."
"This isn't team."
Despite their bantering,the rest of the heist went without a hitch. The moment they were outside the building, Mar'i pulled on a hoodie and took the music box. She could fly back so that they wouldn't be caught on the ground with it. She shot up into the sky as Chuck and Damian made breaks for it.
They met back up in Neal's apartment. Damian and Chuck took a taxi each while Mar'i flew across rooftops. Mozzie made his own way back, a few hours later.
Mar'i and Chuck were sitting at the table with the music box in front of them. Damian was making dinner.
"I'm still surprised you can cook," Mar'i said. "After all, Dad always said you guys were disasters in the kitchen."
"He is a bit unconventional." Chuck warily eyed where Damian was chopping up some lettuce with a big fighting knife. "Is that clean?"
"What do you take me for? Of course it is." Besides this was an easy recipe. Chop up the things and throw them into a hot pan. It was even alright if it caught fire, as long as he put it out quickly. He could cook those sorts of recipes easily. Just not toast for some reason. Not a single one of his brothers could cook toast.
Or boil water. It was a good thing this recipe didn't need him to boil water.
"Tell me you figured out something about that music box," Mozzie sighed. How did superheroes get anything done if they were distracted by cooking?
"It seems like a normal music box," Chuck said.
Mar'i picked up the box and tilted it. "But, there's a hole in the top, probably a keyhole or something."
"We could try forcing it open but we risk breaking whatever it is." Which was a shame. Damian was curious.
"Maybe we can use magic to force it open?"
"There's no way that hasn't already been tried."
Damian responded to Mar'i's statement with, "unless it's previous owners didn't realise there was a secret."
Mozzie was starting to feel like a babysitter. He had a feeling that if he left these three to do anything, they would probably get into trouble.
"How do you know there's a keyhole? Or even a secret at all?" he asked.
The three shared a look.
Damian broke the look first with a smirk. "Mozzie knows."
Chuck rolled his eyes. "Who doesn't know at this point?" He looked at Mozzie. "I flashed. There's something hidden in the music box. It's World War 2 related."
"How does the Intersect know that but not exactly what it is?" Damian huffed.
"Still feels like cheating," Mar'i commented. "Most people wouldn't even have that information."
"There had to be something off with it. A regular music box isn't the cause of murder."
"He has a point," Chuck said to Mar'i.
Mar'i snorted. "People kill others over stupid things. Why not a music box that's worth a lot of money?"
"She has a point," Chuck said to Damian.
Damian shook his head and served them some of his saucy rice dish. It looked a little like curry but without the meat.
"Ah, the other reason Damian can't cook," Mar'i commented as she fished for meat.
Chuck was confused.
"Was that some kind of stab at how I'm vegetarian where possible?" Damian demanded to know.
"I like meat okay?"
"Who cares? This is good," Chuck said, mouth already full of food.
Mozzie served himself up a plate and started eating. He could watch these three all day. They were very interesting personalities, especially when put in the same room together.
Once Chuck was finished, he had to leave. "Ellie can only cover so long."
"You've got a good story to tell her."
"That's for sure. Call me when you figure out the music box's secret, everyone's going to be curious."
It was warm in his bed. Like sunbathing without any risk of sunburn. Damian stretched and wriggled closer to the warm, sweet scent.
"Who's the new girl, Caffrey?"
Damian opened his eyes and immediately shut them again. "Alex." He knew she was there but thought that maybe, just maybe she would just leave.
"Wait, Alex is here?" The warmth moved, jumping out of the bed. Damian tried not to be disappointed. Grayson was good to cuddle and very warm but she had only slipped into his bed for a lack of anywhere else to sleep. "Hi, Alex, it's nice to meet you."
"Even though we met at the party yesterday?" Alex asked smugly.
Damian sighed and slipped out of bed. At least he was wearing pants this time. Maybe he should have set up some kind of alarm, even when there's others around.
"What brings you here?"
"What do you think, Caffrey? Where's the music box?"
"I don't have it."
"Do you really think I'd believe that for a moment. Someone took it."
"He really doesn't have it."
"Then who does?"
"Feds. CIA, NSA, I don't know exactly which but they swooped in and took it before I could." Half-truth. Chuck certainly held onto the box and he had been the one to pass it on and Mar'i had been the one to fly off with it and she had questionable connections to overseas agencies. Damian just left out the part where he was also present.
"And I'm supposed to believe that? That you'd just let the Government walk away with something they weren't even looking for, something you need to save Kate-"
"I think I've moved on, don't you?" Damian commented.
"Say anymore Caffrey and you'll be in trouble," Mar'i warned.
Damian raised his eyebrow at her but bit back his question of whether he would be in trouble with her or with her dad. He turned back to Alex. "Anyway, I don't have it." And he would be making sure June's staff knew not to let Alex back in.